18 Sep FORAGER’S REPORT – SEPTEMBER 16, 2018

Oh heavens, is it ever going to rain? When I was living in the Caribbean and had a dairy farm, I was forever praying for rain to make the grass grow. When I returned to the States, I promised myself to just let the weather do whatever it wanted to do….but then I became a mushroomer and here I am again, praying for rain.

Keep looking at the weather report, hoping to see clouds, rain, bad weather and all I see is a smiling, relentless sun. And then I check humidity at Point Reyes, Salt Point, Pollock Pines, and Marin County and see that in the sierra the humidity is lower than at the coast. I become hopeful when my car is covered with dew in the morning. Seeing that Salt Point had a humidity of 73%, took off to see what I could find.

We did find some tiny, tiny Rainbow Chanterelles (Cantharellus roseocanus), two perfect eggs of Western Grisettes (Amanita pachycolea), a few fresh Dyers Mushrooms (Phaeolus Schwenitzii), and some Gomphus kaufmanii, which a person going by named “false Chanterelle”. It was dry and it was a miracle we found anything.

We also saw a group of mushroomers who went directly where they said Summer Chanterelles (C. roseocanus) grow consistently. They managed to find three beautiful specimens and a shrimp russula (Russula Xerampelina).

Tomorrow I will take off for Point Reyes because humidity there is 80% and there might be mushrooms. All mushrooms I find will be displayed during the monthly meeting of the Mycological Society of Marin County which takes place at the Mill Valley Public Library at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 19, during Tom Bruns talk about the Short History of Hallucinogenic Mushrooms.

Even with nothing much to show, how can you not be happy as would Dinna say, tree bathing?

P.S. Did go today to Point Reyes and my heart broke when I saw five large porcini stalks stomped to death. Fungi phobics’ work I am guessing. Did manage to get a perfect specimen and a baby porcini. Also found a cluster of Big Laughing Gym (Gymnopilus ventricosus); a large group of Death Caps (Amanita phaloides) growing under Bishop’s Pines, not oak; and a mushroom that looked like a lepiota. At the Novato Library, I found some Agaricus californicus. All in all, a good day. As mentioned before, all the mushrooms will be displayed at the Mycological Society of Marin County’s monthly meeting tomorrow.